Mars has announced an investment of more than $70 million in its Hackettstown, New Jersey, site to continue its legacy of best-in-class innovation and manufacturing.
As a leader in confectionery, snacking, food, and pet care products and services, Mars' latest significant economic development supports a R&D Innovation Studio. The studio will include a new prototyping kitchen, packaging lab, and collaboration space to increase the speed of innovation and development to meet evolving consumer preferences.
This multi-year investment in the Hackettstown manufacturing factory began in 2023 and supports Mars’ continued commitment to quality and food safety by adding a new, state-of-the-art chocolate production facility. The updated packaging studio will allow Mars to develop and test sustainable packaging materials, supporting Its contribution to a circular economy.
“At Mars, our commitment to quality and innovation has been at the centre of our business for more than a century,” said Anton Vincent, President of Mars Wrigley North America and Global Ice Cream.
“The continued investment in our Hackettstown site reaffirms our commitment to innovation in New Jersey and upskilling our Associates with best-in-class facilities to create more moments of everyday happiness for our consumers.”
Mars has a deep history in New Jersey having opened its doors in Newark more than 80 years ago and has been a member of the Hackettstown community since 1958. The opening of the New Jersey Innovation Studio follows the recent opening of the transformative $42M Mars Snacking Research and Development Hub in Chicago. Sited on its Goose Island campus, the global headquarters of the company’s Snacking business and one of seven Mars global innovation sites around the world. The 44,000-square-foot, $42 million facility will be dedicated to chocolate and nut testing, research and innovation as Mars looks to double its Snacking business in the next decade. The new facility will give Mars’ 300 R&D Associates in Chicago runway to create and refine new products for the company’s multi-billion-dollar snacking portfolio before they are scaled at large around the globe.
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